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So I bought this car near the end of "Winter" if you can call what we had a winter.

As some may already know (from posts ive put up already about problems its had) I think I might have purchased a total dud and its been a headache and a real downer at times but i just love the looks i get when I am driving it around and it does drive very nice.

When I bought the car, it ran and drove very straight, and still does.

Things it needed right away was Thermostat, rims (one of the rims that came on it had a hidden crack in it) cause the reps it had on are probably cheap junk, and the front bumper to be supported. Oh and it wouldnt pass the etest because kid i bought it off of did a Auto - Manual Trans swap and probably plugged the O2 sensors in backwards when reassembling it.

If i knew now what i knew then i probably wouldnt have paid 6,900 for the car and probably would have been more patient and purchased a better one for like 10,000 off someone on here.... I learned a lot though for next time.

but the underbody is 100% mint and the only tiny bit of rust on the car is on the passenger does and its barely noticeable.

Things ive come across that need to be fixed/already have been fixed...

E-brake didnt work at all so i just had all the e-brake shoes, rotors and all the hardware for the ebrake replaced. But after i use it 3-5 times it stops holding the car from rolling backwards but holds it from rolling forwards fine, so i had the mechanic look at it he retightened them and it worked for a night now same thing holds forwards doesnt hold backwards.... gonna have him look into it again. maybe you guys would know something?

Needs a new front bumper, it is completely chewed up and is missing all the supports and stuff. I plan on putting the M3 style front/skirt/rear on with in the next couple months.

I plan on repainting the whole car the same color but it has some minor scratches in it and doesnt look like it was done all the professionaly in some spots, also have 2 minor dents pulled

Needed Muffler mounts and a new chrome tip already fixed.

Rear shocks were toast, replaced those with cheap ones from Napa for now. I will be replacing front and rear suspension but would like some input on what i should buy. im looking for something that sits as low as it is now, maybe a bit higher, and is under $2500. Coilovers, or springs dont matter, cause i would probably never bother adjusting the coilovers anyway.

The new rims i got were from an auto wreckers, they are stock OEM so i know they will last and they are in great shape but have curb rash and i will have them refinished and painted white probably within the next month or 2

Also next summer i would like to single Turbo/twin turbo or SC the motor and do it up a bit. would love some insight on what you guys would consider is my best option and what is actually possible. would like atleast 450whp+ with a budget of up to $12k

I will post pictures soon of some of the issues i mentioned.
also i will edit/update this as i remember things i forgot to post.

E-brake didnt work at all so i just had all the e-brake shoes, rotors and all the hardware for the ebrake replaced. But after i use it 3-5 times it stops holding the car from rolling backwards but holds it from rolling forwards fine, so i had the mechanic look at it he retightened them and it worked for a night now same thing holds forwards doesnt hold backwards.... gonna have him look into it again. maybe you guys would know something?

Try to adjust the handbrake lever - Perhaps you cant pull it tight enough, even if they are new.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nab24-

I plan on repainting the whole car the same color but it has some minor scratches in it and doesnt look like it was done all the professionaly in some spots, also have 2 minor dents pulled

Get it polished - 2 stage - Repainting a car devaules it too much - and for such an old car, not worth it imo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nab24-

Rear shocks were toast, replaced those with cheap ones from Napa for now. I will be replacing front and rear suspension but would like some input on what i should buy. im looking for something that sits as low as it is now, maybe a bit higher, and is under $2500. Coilovers, or springs dont matter, cause i would probably never bother adjusting the coilovers anyway.

Go with coilovers - Bilstein PSS PSS9 or PSS10

Quote:

Originally Posted by nab24-

The new rims i got were from an auto wreckers, they are stock OEM so i know they will last and they are in great shape but have curb rash and i will have them refinished and painted white probably within the next month or 2

I know a powder coating company who did work on all my BMW's & Audi's - A little more expensive - but lasts. Let me know if your interested.

Also next summer i would like to single Turbo/twin turbo or SC the motor and do it up a bit. would love some insight on what you guys would consider is my best option and what is actually possible. would like atleast 450whp+ with a budget of up to $12k

No getting that power from your motor. If your looking for something in that range you bought the wrong car. Buy an E46 M3 - and then look into forced induction.

Roadfly brackets, Porsche calipers, M3 (non-CSL) rotors. Total cost should be lower, calipers are better and lighter (fewer pistons though if that matters) and everything is off the shelf replaceable. And everything tucks nicely under 17" wheels for those of us that aren't baller enough to have a bigger winter setup. The only downside is that Porsche pads dust like a mofo, much worse than stock BMW pads. I suggest getting different pads from day one.

Thanks for the input guys, really appreciate it. I pretty much only use Vortex racing pads on my cars now, they are well priced and just work flawlessly. Have them on the race cars and they last whole seasons and they are on fire every weekend and still hold up for the later part of the race.

As for the turbo and stuff could I Atleast get 320+ whp with a turbo/ supercharger?

If you want this as a track car, you are spending too much time worrying about visual items... just drive it man!

Ditch those rims, as they are probably the worst for anything performance related because they weigh about as much as a truck. Get something lighter.

I'd suggest buying some 330 brakes from one of the partout sponsors on here, those coupled with some good quality pads are going to be more than enough for what you will need them for.

You mention wanting to put on M3 bumpers and stuff on... well you already have an M3 bumper, or at least what looks like one in the pics, so that maybe explains why there are no supports and everything is missing from underneath.

Good idea to focus on suspension, and probably another good idea is to get some new bushings to start tightening things up like urethane FCABs and such... since you mention about not adjusting coilovers, Bilsteins will be fine like suggested... but any fancier adjustable shock based coilover like Ground Control or TC Kline potentially yields a better handling car.

Your projected horsepower numbers are a bit optimistic. Try looking at another car if you want that much power... its probably cheaper down the road.

Thanks crazy, yea I'm looking for a new set of rims right now, but gonna wait for another week or two so I know I have the money. Really nice set someone is selling on here that I want. This week coming the car is gonna go in for a possible water pump/pulleys to be replaced cause something is making a noise on take off. Also going to have the clutch bled and shifter linkage re-aligned and everything cause right now it's shifts rough and it's hard to get through the gears. Sometimes it's even harder just to find the gear. Thanks for the advice just to drive the car, I'm enjoying it a lot more now cause I know people can't see the small issues with the car when they are looking at my tail lights lol

Thanks for the info maple, had the car in the shop the last 2 days for a new water pump, and had my check engine light fixed. Also had a bunch of stuff inspected as well as what maple mentioned mechanic says the car is in perfect condition underneath and I have nothing to worry about there. Car sounds perfect now with the new water pump, getting all my shifter bushing replaced next week, and gonna hopefully get a new front bumper at the same time.

Hey guys, been a while since I've done an update on here but that doesn't mean the car hasn't received any love! Car got the window rails fixed and are very solid now so I'm going to be replacing the window tint soon, I purchased a mtech body kit from Maranello BMW and had it painted at European Autobody. And now it's installed and the car looks 1000x better. I have only one more issue with the motor and that is my camshaft positioning sensor, which will arrive tomorrow and be installed by thursday!

I would like to replace my clutch and flywheel with a performance clutch and lightwieght flywheel and if anyone has any solid suggestions on that with links to the place to buy it would be greatly appreciated.

Agreed but it needs a clutch badly. i think im going to go with a Spec stage 1 clutch with aluminum flywheel, they seem decent for the uses i need from it at a fair price. also i have the money for rims and tires. im just waiting for a LW racing set to come up on here at a fair price. as for suspension im still not dead set on what to go with. also rear rotors and pads are done, gonna do the fronts soon.

Hey guys, been a while since I've done an update on here but that doesn't mean the car hasn't received any love! Car got the window rails fixed and are very solid now so I'm going to be replacing the window tint soon, I purchased a mtech body kit from Maranello BMW and had it painted at European Autobody. And now it's installed and the car looks 1000x better. I have only one more issue with the motor and that is my camshaft positioning sensor, which will arrive tomorrow and be installed by thursday!

I would like to replace my clutch and flywheel with a performance clutch and lightwieght flywheel and if anyone has any solid suggestions on that with links to the place to buy it would be greatly appreciated.

Window tint on a trackcar? You seem to be doing everything BUT making a track car.